Rotary internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

A rotary internal combustion engine with intermittent burning cycle, converting heat energy into the rotary motion, having a multi stage compression rotor ( 3 ) with centrifugally-axial air compression impellers ( 3.2 ), valve ( 5.1 ), which alternatively filling up the combustors ( 4.3 ) with the compressed air and closing them. A fuel pump ( 6 ) compresses fuel and through fuel distributor ( 6.1 ) supplies it to the combustors ( 4.3 ) to achieve combustion when sprinkled on the hot-red spirals of the ignition plugs ( 4.5 ). The gas generated in the combustors ( 4.3 ) passes through a cascade turbines ( 5.10; 5.3; 5.11 ), driving the power rotor ( 5 ) and through the coupling-gear ( 5.4 ) transfering rotary motion to a drive shaft ( 7 ). A hollow impeller ( 3.5 ), mounted onto the compression rotor ( 3 ), pumps air through a diffusor-shade ( 3.8 ) for cooling the compressor from outside.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to gas turbine engines.

[0002] The gas turbine engines, known to the applicant, suffer from following disadvantages:

[0003] 1. These engines are not stable, because the gas of higher than 1000° C. temperature and a dust inflow with compressed air rapidly destroys the high-speed power and compressor turbines. Therefore, for keeping low gas temperature, need to supply 3-4 times larger amount of air than it need for burning. With the improvement of air filtering considerably grows volume of the engine and consumption of energy.

[0004] 2. Low efficiency (only about 30%), because for compressing required amount of air consumes ⅔ of energy, generating by the engine.

[0005] 3. The cooling losses and thermal losses with an exhaust 1.16 times higher than losses of a diesel.

[0006] 4. Bad stopping, what is unacceptable for the automobiles.

[0007] In SU (Russia) patent No 293471 A1 is described a gas turbine engine comprising the low pressure axial and the high pressure centrifugal compressors, a combustor with continuous combustion cycle and cascade of the free rotating gas turbines. The first turbine drives a centrifugal compressor, second and third turbines drive an axial compressor and only fourth and fifth turbines rotate a drive shaft. This engine has no stopping and has all aforesaid disadvantages.

[0008] In SU patent No 1792122 A1 is described a gas turbine engine comprising a ventilator, a centrifugal compressor matched with the gas turbine, a combustor, a power turbine, a heat exchanger and a refrigerator. A ventilator drives part of air for compression, the rest part of air goes through the refrigerator, where cools a high compressed gas, which ejects through the ejector, driving an air to the compressor, where compresses an air-gas mixture. A heat exchanger heats the compressed air-gas mixture and supplies to the combustor for burning. The gas pressure, resulting from the burning process, drives a turbine, matched with the compressor. Part of gas flows through the heat exchanger heating it, then flows through the refrigerator, where cools and ejects to an air going to the compressor, another part of gas drives the power turbine, then flows through the heat exchanger and exhausts. This engine requires large energy consumption for air compression, because a compressor is heating by the gas going through the matched turbine also compresses a hot air-gas mixture. This engine has undesirable heat and energy losses, when high compressed gas is cooled in the refrigerator.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary internal combustion engine with intermittent combustion cycle in the closed combustors, what permits to keep higher gas temperature and compression, considerably increasing an efficiency of the engine. Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine comprising a small compressor, capable efficiently to filter an air and to compress it by help of centrifugal forces, driving an air in axial direction. Also to provide a compressor capable to cool air from the beginning till the end of compression cycle, thereby considerably reducing consumption of energy for air compression. A further object of the invention is to provide a fuel converting to a gas system, what improves of fuel mixing with an air thereby improves the combustion process and reduces CO and NO in the exhaust. Another further object is to provide a stable engine with good stopping without any additional using devices. Still another object is to provide such engine with which the applicant believes to achieve efficiency 1.5-2 times higher than of known engines and aforementioned disadvantages will be eliminated

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The above noted objects are accomplished by the provided rotary internal combustion engine comprising a power body with four pear configuration combustors, which exhaust ports are directed to rotational direction of the cascade intermittent turbines, located on the power rotor to semicircle gas flow direction. A power rotor rotates between of the power body, joined by the bolts with power housing, having the stationary impeller blades inside. A power housing is joined by the bolts with the compressor comprising an air inertial filtering and cooling, by the hollow impeller, mounted onto the compression rotor, also comprising a barrier air filter, located between of the stabilizer spokes.

[0011] The efficient compression of air is accomplished by the multiply stage compression rotor comprising the special configured centrifugal-axial air driving impellers, which rotate between of the stationary impellers being inside of the compressor housing. This arrangement considerably decreases the energy consumption for air compression and it is smaller than conventional centrifugal compressors.

[0012] An intermittent combustion of the engine is accomplished by closing of the combustors with an air valve from air inflow side and with the power rotor from the gas exhaust side. For this purpose the adjacent turbine on the power rotor is accomplished as a range of holes with two breaks, going across the rotor and located by ring, where these breaks close the combustors from the exhaust side.

[0013] A fuel pump with a fuel distributor, located on the above of the power body, a fuel supplies to the combustors, intermittent and in definite time.

[0014] An intermittent combustion cycle in the closed combustors and intermittent action of gas to the turbine blades permits 2-2.5 times to decrease amount of air, supplying for combustion, compare with the prototypes, and permits to arise the gas temperature from 1000° until 1700° C., what considerably improves an efficiency of the engine.

[0015] The fuel heating by the exhausted gas in the fuel heaters located in the exhaust ports, permits to convert a fuel to a gas (in a moment evaporating), when sprinkled with high compressed and hot fuel to a low compressed and hot air, being in the combustors. An air better mixes with the gas than with small drops of fuel. This arrangement substantially improves combustion and reduces harmful NO and CO in the exhaust.

[0016] According to the invention durability of the engine will be assured by sufficient inertial and barrier air filtering, by the intermittent action of gas to the turbines blades, what cools them, by using of the strong alloys of aluminium for the compressor parts and using ceramics or even better Nu-Composite (known as cheep for manufacture, light, strong, chemical and high temperature proof, having almost no line expending) for power system parts.

[0017] According to the invention this engine has a good stopping effect, because a drive shaft through the transmission system is connected with the power rotor and compressor, without any additional devices, as guide wanes and others, using on the conventional gas turbine engines.

[0018] According to the invention a low consumption of energy for air compression, a good heat exchanging process, by covering the combustors and the gas stream channels with the compressed air supply channels, a heat saving with thermal isolation of the power housing and the power body, an intermittent combustion process in the closed combustors, what permits considerably to arise the gas temperature and the fuel converting to a gas allows to expect, that a rotary combustion engine will be at least 1.5-2 times higher efficiency compare with the prototypes.

BREAF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The invention will now further be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary internal combustion engine according to the invention;

[0021]FIG. 2 according to the FIG. 1 here is a longitudinal section of a compressor on line A;

[0022]FIG. 3 according to the FIG. 2 here is a cross-section of the compression rotor on line B;

[0023]FIG. 4 according to the FIG. 1 here is a longitudinal section of the power and transmission systems of the engine on line A;

[0024]FIG. 5 according to the FIG. 4 here is a schematic section of a power system on line C with gas flow through the turbines trajectory.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] In FIGS. 1 to 5 is alone embodiment of a rotary internal combustion engine according to the invention and designated by the reference.

[0026] A hollow impeller 3.5 as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 consist the blades, which are turned so, that driving an air in axial direction by the centrifugal force would throw out an air carrying heavy fractions as dust. A carrying dust air, for compressor cooling, is directed by a diffuser-shade 3.8, along of the cooling blades on the compressor housing 3.4. At the same time a hollow impeller 3.5, by the channels in the blades 3.9, sucks an air through the outer channels of a cross-pipe 3.7 from the emptiness 3.6, generating vacuum inside of the compression rotor 3. A hollow impeller 3.5 is mounted onto the front end of the compression rotor 3 so, that channels 3.9 in the blades have continuation with the outer channels of a cross-pipe 3.7, located in the center of a compression rotor 3. An ambient air flows through the central channel of a cross-pipe 3.7 to vacuum and, in a moment expending, in the emptiness 3.6, by the adiabatic process, freezes inside of the compression rotor 3. A cross-sectional area of the central channel on a cross-pipe 3.7 is few times smaller than cross sectional area of all outer channels on a cross-pipe taken together. Thereby a hollow impeller 3.5 separates and throws out a carrying dust air, cools the compressor from outside, freezing it from inside and drives an inertial filtered air through the barrier filter 8 for compression.

[0027] The front end of the multiply stage compression rotor 3 is mounted through the basic 8.3 and simple 8.4 bearings into the stabilizer 8.1, opposed end is mounted through the bearing 8.5 into the power housing 5.5, also through the teeth connection 3.1 it is joined with a central shaft 2. A compression rotor 3 comprises the special configured compression impellers 3.2 as in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, having the turned wide blades, which beginning are girdled with rings comprising the labyrinth sealing, which ends having no rings have increasing diameter to end. A bottom of the channel between of the adjacent blades is accomplished as of centrifugal impeller blade. Therefore the impeller capture an air as with fool diameter of axial compressor blades 3.10 and throw out as with centrifugal impeller blades 3.11, driving an air in axial but not in radial direction. Thereby an axial drive of air will be intensified by the centrifugal forces without dangerous vibration of blades. It permits to reach a higher compression ratio with lower rotational speed and lower consumption of energy. The compression impellers 3.2 rotate between of the stationary impellers 3.3, which are making an air rotation stop and direct an air flow for the best capture to sequential step of rotating compression impellers 3.2. The stationary impellers 3.3 are fabricated inside of the compressor housing 3.4, which has the longitudinal cooling blades on the outside and it is joined by bolts along of two parts. A compressor housing 3.4 by the bolts is joined to the power housing 5.5, opposed end is joined with the stabilizer 8.1. The stabilizer spokes 8.2 are making an air rotation stop. Between of the stabilizer spokes is located a barrier filter 8, which are doing a final air filtering. From outside on the stabilizer 8.1 is put on a diffuser-shade 3.8 also a stabilizer 8.1 through the basic bearing 8.3 and bearing 8.4 joins the compression rotor 3 with the compressor housing 3.4.

[0028] A compressor supplies filtered and compressed air to the power generating system. It goes through the air flow channels 5.6 in the power housing 5.5 as in FIG. 4 and through the channels 4.1 in the power body 4, covering from all sides the combustors 4.3 and the gas stream channels 5.7. Thereby, as in a heat exchanger, an air cools the hot parts of the engine and takes a heat from the exhaust. For reducing noise the gas stream channels 5.7 are fabricated as muffler, also a power housing 5.5 and a power body 4 from outside are covered by thermal isolation 5.8, what holds up a heat reducing the noise. A hot air, being heated in the heat exchanger, flows to the air valve 5.1, which is mounted by the teeth connection onto the power rotor 5. This valve 5.1 opens and closes the combustors 4.3 and through the infeed channels 5.2 as in FIG. 5, fill up the combustors 4.3 with hot air. A power body 4 comprises the pear configuration four combustors 4.3, with the least angle directed to rotary direction of the intermittent turbine 5.10, fabricated on the power rotor 5. The combustors 4.3 work intermittently, two firing while the other two are cooling. The engine could function with only two or three combustors but it would be at a reduction in power or it could generate undesirable vibration. The fuel nozzles 4.4 and ignition plugs 4.5 are attached to the combustors 4.3 through the holes fabricated in a power body 4. Combustion achieves in the combustors 4.3 when sprinkled with fuel through the nozzles 4.4 to the compressed hot air. While the engine starts and air supplies of low temperature for initial ignition need to use the ignition plugs 4.5, which will be turned off after the engine started. Further combustion in the combustors 4.3 will be assured when sprinkled with gasified fuel to the hot air and can be done by flame transfer through the drilled special channels in the air valve 5.1 from the combustors with burning gas to the combustors with sprinkled fuel.

[0029] The gas pressure resulting from the burning process in the combustors 4.3 will drive the power rotor 5, which rotates in the chamber, fabricated between of the joined power body 4 with the power housing 5.5. A power rotor 5 rotates on the bearing 5.9 and 4.6, mounted to the power housing 5.5 and to the power body 4. A monolithic power rotor 5 comprises a cascade of intermittent turbines 5.10; 5.3; 5.11, located in semicircle gas stream direction, where an energy of the expending gas with the least heat loses converts to mechanical-rotation. The first step of turbine is fabricated as range of holes 5.10 as in FIG. 5 going across the power rotor 5 and exposed by the ring with two breaks, which need for closing of the combustors 4.3. The gas stream out of the holes 5.10 goes through the stationary impeller 5.12 on the power housing 5.5, then pushes the blades 5.3 on the torr configuration side of the power rotor 5. Further the gas goes through the stationary impeller 5.13 and pushes the blades 5.11 on the edge of the power rotor 5. Further the gas stream goes through the channels 5.7 heating a compressed air in the power body 4 and heating a fuel in the fuel heaters 6.2, being inside of the exhaust ports 6.5. The fuel heaters 6.2 are fabricated from the high temperature and chemical proof pipes as hollow spiral or another configuration. When with high compressed and hot fuel sprinkled to the combustor with low compression hot air the fuel in a moment evaporates converting to a gas. It improves the fuel mixing with an air and assures better combustion, reducing harmful CO and NO in the exhaust. Also heat is saving with air and fuel heating by the exhaust and with isolation of hot surfaces of the engine. This arrangement increases efficiency of the engine.

[0030] A fuel pump 6 as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, attached to above of the power body 4, generates a high fuel compression, which through the opened acceleration valve 6.3 circle inside of the fuel pump 6, keeping minimal compression in the fuel supply system. Compression in the system increases when this valve 6.3 is turned for closing. When compression in the system exceeds some determined level, the fuel be sprinkled through the nozzles 4.4 into the combustors 4.3. The engine achieves fast acceleration with turning an acceleration valve 6.3, what increases compression in the system and generates more fuel sprinkle into the combustors 4.3. With intermittent work of the combustors 4.3, on the fuel pump 6, there is located a fuel distributor 6.1 directing fuel in definite time through the two fuel heaters 6.2, while the another two are waiting.

[0031] For assuring a proper function of the engine, on the power body 4, in the emptiness closed by a cap 9, is located a power transmission system. A starter shaft 1 through the gears 1.2 and 2.1 rotates the central shaft 2, which through the teeth connection 3.1 is joined with the compression rotor 3. Thereby a starter, rotating a starter shaft 1 by the gear 1.1, rotates the compression rotor 3, supplying compressed air to the power system. At definite compression an air pushes a pneumatic coupling 1.3, connecting by the teeth connection a starter shaft 1 with the coupling-gear 1.4, which freely rotates on the starter shaft 1. The coupling-gear 1.4 rotates the fuel pump gear 6.4 and the coupling gear 5.4 being mounted by the teeth connection on the power rotor 5. The coupling-gear 5.4 rotates a drive shaft 7, which rotates an oil pump gear 10.1.

[0032] One end of the starter shaft 1 and one end of drive shaft 7 through the bearings is mounted to the power body 4, opposed end to the cap 9. One end of the central shaft 2 through the teeth connection 3.1 is mounted into the compression rotor 3, opposed end through the bearing 2.2 to the cap 9.

[0033] A carter 4.2, which accumulates the oil, flowed down from the bearings and gears, is attached to the power body 4, by closing an emptiness from bellow. An oil pump 10 supplies an oil from the carter 4.2, through the oil pipe 9.1 attached to a cap 9, through a central shaft 2 for lubricating and cooling the bearings 5.9; 4.6 on the power rotor 5. Compression of oil is keeping equivalent to compression of air in the power system. It permits to lubricate the sealing rings at the bearings and to avoid of air penetration to the bearings or oil penetration to an air. For reducing penetration of the compressed air to the gas or to the other way on the power rotor 5 and on the air valve 5.1 are fabricated the labyrinth packers, also compression of air from one side is approximately equivalent to compression of the burning gas from another side. 

1 a rotary internal combustion engine comprising a power rotor (5) with a cascade turbines (5.10, 5.3, 5.11) rotating between of a power housing (5.5) with the stationary impellers (5.12, 5.13) inside and a power body (4) with four pear configuration combustors (4.3), air supply (4.1) and gas stream (5.7) channels inside, a multi stage compressor with the centrifugally-axial air pumping impellers (3.2), with hollow impeller (3.5) and barrier filter (8), an air valve (5.1) with air infeed channels (5.2) and flame transfer channels, by the teeth connection mounted onto a hub of the power rotor (5), a fuel pump (6) with fuel distributor (6.1), the fuel heaters (6.2) located in the exhaust ports (6.5), a power transmission system comprising a central shaft (2) freely rotating in the hub of the power rotor (5), a drive shaft (7) with an oil pump rotating gear (10.1), a starter shaft (1) comprising the gears (1.1, 1.2), a pneumatic connector (1.3) and freely rotating coupling gear (1.4), characterized in that, the combustors are fully closed, a flame transfers from the burning combustors to the combustors with sprinkled fuel, a fuel heats and transfers to a gas, an air inertial filters and cools by the hollow impeller (3.5), a drive shaft (7) through the coupling gear (5.4) is continuously joined with a power rotor (5).
 2. An engine as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that, for the best filling up the combustors (4.3) with compressed air and for contactless closing inlet of the combustors, an air valve (5.1) by teeth connection is mounted onto a hub of a power rotor (5) and is formed as coupling comprising two semicircle axially opened air infeed channels (5.2), which depth increases in the direction of radially opened outlet holes; for contactless closing outlet of the combustors (4.3) and for ensure closing time need for efficient filling up the combustors with compressed air, sprinkle with fuel and ignition, a turbine is formed on the power rotor (5) as by ring located holes (5.10) with two breaks, wherein up and down of the turbine holes are made multi stage labyrinth seals; for even distribution of gas flow through the most turbine holes (5.10), a cross-sectional area of holes and cross-sectional area of outlet channels of the combustors (4.3) have to be properly adjusted.
 3. An engine as claimed in claim 1 and 2 characterized in that, for getting the best torsion on the power rotor (5), the combustors are formed of pear configuration having radial inlet and are set perpendicular to radius with least angle of gas flow to rotational plane of the turbine, other turbines are located on the power rotor (5) by semicircle gas flow direction so, that gas flow, passing a turbine (5.10) and passing the stationary impeller (5.12) would rotate a turbine (5.3) and passing the stationary impeller (5.13) would rotate the turbine (5.11).
 4. An engine as claimed in claims 1 to 3 characterized in that, for efficient heat consumption by taking heat from an exhaust, from the cooling need hot parts and giving it back to the compressed air supplying for burning, an air supply channels (5.6) in the power housing (5.5) and (4.1) in the power body (4) are formed so, that to cover the gas stream channels and the combustors from all side, also hot outer surface of a power housing and a power body are covered with a thermal isolation (5.8).
 5. An engine as claimed in claim 1 and 4 characterized in that, for better consumption of heat and for improving burning process in the combustors, the fuel heaters (6.2) are formed as pipes in spiral or another configuration and are located inside of the exhaust ports (6.5).
 6. An engine as claimed in claim 1 and 2 characterized in that, for ensure continuous ignition in the combustors (4.3), two flame transfer channels are drilled through the air valve (5.1) on the exactly fixed place.
 7. An engine as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that, for decreasing of air turbulence and for eliminating dangerous vibration of blades, on the compression rotor (3) are fabricated a cascade centrifugally-axial air pumping impellers (3.2) comprising the turned wide blades, which beginnings from outer side are girdled with the rings comprising the labyrinth sealing, which ends with no rings have an increasing diameter to the end, wherein the bottom of channel between of the adjacent blades (3.10) is accomplished as of the centrifugal impeller blade (3.11).
 8. An engine as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 and 7 characterized in that, for ensure stopping of the engine with using no aditional device or action, a drive shaft (7) through the coupling gear (5.4) is joined with the power rotor (5) and through the coupling gear (1.4) by the pneumatic connector (1.3) is joined with a starter shaft (1) and starter-generator, through the gears (1.2 and 2.1) is joined with the central shaft (2), which through the teeth connection (3.1) is joined with the compression rotor (3).
 9. An engine as claimed in claim 1 and 7 characterized in that, for decreasing consumption of energy for air compression and for ensure inwardly adiabatic refrigeration of the compression rotor (3), a hollow impeller (3.5) is mounted on the front end of the compression rotor (3), the channels (3.9) on the hollow impeller are joined to outer channels of the cross-pipe (3.7), which opposite ends are joined to emptiness (3.6) fabricated inside of the compression rotor (3), a cross-sectional area of the inner channel of cross pipe (3.7) is smaller than sum of cross-sectional areas of the outer channels of cross pipe; for cooling a compressor from outside with an air thrown out by the hollow impeller (3.5), a diffusor-shade (3.8) is mounted onto a stabilizer (8.1).
 10. An engine as claimed in claim 1 and 9 characterized in that, for air inertial filtering, the blades of a hollow impeller (3.5) are turned so, that pumping air for compression the heavy fractions as dust would be thrown out through the diffusor-shade (3.8) and for air barrier filtering, the barrier filters (8) are set between of the adjacent spokes (8.2) of a stabilizer (8.1). 